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Sunday, April 23, 2006

A Clash of Civilizations

Al Jazeera has aired parts of what is said to be a new audiotape from Osama bin Laden. Counterterrorism Blog has outline the ten main points from the tape.

1. Hamas: Despite the fact that we (including Ayman Zawahiri) warned (Muslim Palestinians) not to take part in elections in general, the victory of Hamas shows that there is a "Crusader Zionist War against Islam." Cutting foreign aid to the Palestinians because of Hamas victory proves that war.

2. The public (in the West and the US), despite our warnings, continues to reelect these Governments, pay taxes to these Governments, and send their children to fight against us. They (civilians) are therefore part of the war against us. They are responsible for any harm that would be caused to them.

3. Sudan: The Bashir Government is failing in stopping the Crusader War in Sudan. The Crusaders (Britain) has pushed the southerners (Blacks) to separate. The US has armed them and is supporting them. And now, because of tribal tensions in Darfour, the Crusaders are planning on intervening there. We are calling on the Jihadists to fight them in Darfour and Southern Sudan.

4. Long War: We're calling on all Jihadists, particularly in Sudan and the Arabian Peninsula to prepare themselves for a long war.

5. Danish Cartoons: We are asking the Danish Government to remit the Cartoonists to al Qaida.

6. Saudis: We criticize the Saudi Monarch for refuting the idea of Clash of civilization. There is a clash led by the West against Islam.

7. Arab Liberals: Jihadists must silence the Arab and Muslim liberals. (A list has been established, but it wasn't aired).

8. Education: We warn from any change that would affect the educational curriculum in the Arab and Muslim world.

9. Arab TV: We warn against those TV stations airing into the region and propagating Crusader propaganda.

10: Truce: We offered a truce to the West (US and Europe) but their public refused to accept it. They will only blame themselves.

As I was reading this, point 6 in particular caught my attention because it reminded me of a quote by Omar Ahmad , co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group which was first brought to my attention by Malott's Blog. Here is what Ahmad had to say about Islam's intent to co-exist with other faiths.

If you (a Muslim) choose to live here (in the United States), you have a responsibility to deliver the message of Islam ... Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.

This and other revealing information and quotations by Ahmad and other CAIR leaders can be found at Anti-CAIR.

Based on Ahmad's quote, I would have to say that bin Laden is correct in one respect: there is a clash of civilizations. It is, though, a clash led by Islam against the West, not the other way around.